Quiet

by Molly Walker, 2000

The neighborhood is uncommonly quiet this morning.
Too quiet.
I feel as if the Rapture has come
And taken all the good Christians from the world.

And here I am,
Left behind with all the scum,
The people that even God didn't want,
Rapists and Thieves and Murderers and Mormons and Buddhists.
It's funny, but I always thought that I would go too
When the time came.
But I guess I was busy sleeping-
Dreaming of Jean Luc Picard and the starship Enterprise.
I guess I won't ever have to quit smoking now.

And then I see the ants-
Thousands of tiny little grease ants
Milling about the front porch
Because someone left a bag of
Chocolate covered pretzels open.
And I think to myself,
"Surely God would not leave the ants."

I crumple my cigarette into the ashtray and sigh.
Now there is no proof for God.
Now I'm going to be late for work.